A company's intellectual property (IP) can often be one of its most valuable assets, even if a company does not think of themselves as a brand. A well-managed IP portfolio can increase a company's value, demonstrate barriers to entry for third parties, show innovation capability and reduce legal risk. It can also generate revenue through licensing and franchising opportunities.
The sort of IP a business may possess, especially in the transport sector, includes patent and trade marks. Patents allow for the protection of innovation, such as vehicle technold ies, route optimisation software, fleet management systems, logistics platforms and chaging and energy-management solutions.
A well-managed IP portfolio can increase a company's value, demonstrate barriers to entry for third parties, show innovation capability and reduce legal risk. It can also generate revenue through licensing and franchising opportunities.
Trade marks allow companies to protect their company names, logos and slogans. Consumers will often choose a business based on trust, reliability and reputation. All of this vests in a company's trade marks, and it is therefore crucial they are protected to prevent third parties causing confusion, or free-riding off a business's hard-earned reputation.
If an IP portfolio is not well-managed, it can lead to under protection, exposing a company to infringement claims, risk of dilution of the strength of the IP and loss of proprietary know-how. Conversely, an IP portfolio can end up over-protected with a combination of marks that add little by way of protection, rights being maintained despite them not being in use, or protected in such a way which makes maintenance inefficient from a costs-perspective.
The Brands Team at AG specialise in providing strategic and proactive advice in connection with businesses' IP portfolios. Please reach out to us if you would like to discuss your IP portfolio and IP strategy.
